page_title: 2016–2019 United Kingdom rail strikes
section_title: ScotRail
hierarchical_section_title: 2016–2019 United Kingdom rail strikes / Industrial action / ScotRail
caption_attribution_description: English: Patterton railway station with Class 314 - 314212 - on 11:36 Neilston to Glasgow Central train (Saturday 28 May 2011)
context_page_description: Major industrial action in the form of periodic strikes and protests have been ongoing on the national railway network of the United Kingdom since April 2016, due to controversy surrounding the planned introduction of driver-only operation by several train operating companies, abolishing the role of the train guard in operating passenger train doors, as this role would be able to be performed by train drivers themselves. Later strikes also included industrial disputes over pay rates, planned redundancies and working hours as factors.
  Supporters claim that DOO will save costs and shorten journey times, although opponents of DOO claim that the scheme is unsafe to passengers as drivers may not have as good a visibility of the train doors as guards, who are able to step out onto the platform, currently do. Opponents of DOO also claim that the scheme could lead to hundreds of job losses to train guards, although several train operating companies have denied this, stating that guards will be redeployed to an otherwise equivalent role, which is to be retained, on board.
context_section_description: On 15 April 2016, the RMT union threatened to launch a ballot of its members over possible industrial action on the Abellio ScotRail network as a result of ScotRail's proposals to introduce driver-only operation. Subsequently, following a breakdown in negotiations, a ballot was launched, with union members voting 75% in favour of industrial action, from a 75% turnout, on 7 June. 24-hour strikes were called for 21 June, 23 June, 3 July, 14 July, 24 July and 31 July, as well as 48-hour strikes for 25–26 June, 10–11 July and 16–17 July; overtime bans were also announced for throughout June and July 2016. The day before the first planned strike, on 20 June, RMT members held a protest outside the head office of Abellio ScotRail.
  In late July, further strike action was announced for 24-hour periods on 7 August and 11 August, and for 48 hours on 13–14 August. On 1 August, Abellio ScotRail threatened the RMT with legal action over further strikes. Subsequently, on 3 August, it was announced that the RMT's planned industrial action on ScotRail during August had been suspended, as negotiations with Abellio continued.
  On 20 September, the RMT announced that they had reached a deal in negotiations with Abellio ScotRail protecting the role of guards on their trains. The RMT called the deal "a major breakthrough in the battle against Driver Only Operation" which would be used as a "benchmark" for further negotiations with other operators. The deal was accepted by RMT members after a referendum on 5 October, formally closing the dispute.
  From November 2016, the RMT called for Abellio to be stripped of the ScotRail franchise, with the franchise being returned to public ownership, due to a slump in performance and an alleged increase in "profiteering". On 14 September 2017, the RMT voted in favour of further industrial action on the ScotRail network over plans to cut CCTV operator jobs at two locations, although no date has yet been set for industrial action.
caption: RMT-affiliated ScotRail train drivers staged six 24-hour and three 48-hour strikes in June and July 2016.
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